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I continue to be surprised when people think search engine optimisation (SEO) is only about inserting the right keywords in the right places. While this is, indeed, an important element of SEO, there are other factors that work in tandem and you need to employ all of them.

So here’s a quick recap of the OTHER things you need to be doing to rise up the Google rankings:

Ensure your site is engaging

I’m told that Google records how long a visitor spends on your site and this will impact your search position. So, if Google sees people are taking time to read your site, then they figure it must have content that’s of interest. After all, Google’s role is to provide relevant information. That means you need to have a site that looks engaging, has compelling content, and makes visitors want to click through and find out more.

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We freelancers are always being told to save a buffer fund in case our work dries up, or we need to take time out for whatever reason.

The message we hear is: “We need to save for the future”.

But we also need to live for today – the here and now. This message was brought home to me loud and clear last week when we heard that the wife of my husband’s closest friend had suddenly been taken ill and was lying in a coma in hospital.

We can’t predict the future and we don’t know what lies in store for us just around the corner. So we need to make the most of the present moment.

That’s why I decided to take advantage of today’s wonderful sunshine and spend a couple of hours walking by the river. I returned revived and refreshed and glad to have soaked up some winter sun.

Carpe diem – what are you going to do to make the most of today?

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If, like many freelancers, you’ve entered 2012 without too many client projects on the go, it can be scary wondering where your next bit of business is coming from.

And unless you live in a warm country, damp and cold January is not the easiest month for many of us. Here are a few pointers to help you keep positive at this time of year:

1. Remember that feast and famine is the natural cycle for freelancers

We all get times when we’re so snowed under, we don’t know how to cope. Then we get times when there’s no prospect of any work on the immediate horizon. It’s always like that, so try not to panic if you’re not busy at the moment.

About five years ago, January was going to be a mega-busy month for me, with two major projects due to happen at once. I spent Christmas worrying how I’d cope and, in the end, BOTH got cancelled.

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Welcome to guest writer, Sinead Mac Manus:

I just got back from five weeks living, working and playing in Lisbon, Portugal. If you have never been I recommend a visit especially in the winter when day time temperatures rarely dip below 17 degrees and it’s bright and sunny everyday. Add to that the low cost of living, a beautiful city, friendly people and the best custard tarts in the world, it’s the perfect escape from grey London.

So how did I manage this as a freelancer?

Welcome to my world of part-time location independence.

The location independence movement was started by Lea Woodward and her husband Jonathan in 2007 when, fed up with their corporate lifestyles with plenty of money but little time, they packed it all in to work and travel around the world. Reading about Lea’s adventures in lifestyle design led me to quit my job in 2008 and go live for a year in the south of Spain while still consulting in the UK and building my first online business StartaTheatreCompany.com.

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Referrals are the lifeblood of every business. It’s a fact. There is no better business than the one you didn’t have to chase and invest any time and energy on winning. Having said that, getting a referral is probably one of the hardest things to do when running your own company.

I hear a lot of freelancers complaining that they do not get any referrals. And, I can understand why. Over the years I had struggled myself to be recommended by my clients. I would read everything I could get my hands on about winning new work through referrals and tried the advice there. Nothing worked. Eventually I realized that the problem was somewhere else, changed my ways and referrals started rolling in. Because, you see, in order to get a referral you have to do a bit more than just provide a great service.

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Freelancing is a great way to make a living independently or to supplement income from another full-time job. However, the work can be quite unpredictable, and revenue can be sparse at times. Finding ways to make extra money can help you through the lean times. Here are five easy ways to make additional money online:

1. Affiliate Marketing

Start with your own blog or Web site. Affiliate programs allow you to earn a commission on sales generated through advertising links on your page. Some programs pay a percentage of the sale, while others pay a flat fee based on each sale. The key to success with affiliate marketing is to choose a reputable program — Amazon is a popular choice for many bloggers — and to feature quality products that have some natural connection to your site. For example, if you blog about health, you should feature health products. The more organic the affiliate ads appear to be for your site, the less they will appear like ads, which can be a turn off for many readers.